1. Field of the Invention
Various embodiments of the present invention described herein generally relate to accessories for a children's support device and, in particular, to an attachment device for attaching such accessories to a children's support device, such as a crib.
2. Description of Related Art
Children's accessories are commonly attached to children's support devices to provide various functions. In particular, accessories such as mobiles and audio-visual devices are often attached to a children's crib in order to entertain a child positioned in the crib. Existing children's accessories include a variety of attachment devices configured for attaching an accessory to a support structure of a crib frame (e.g., a section of crib railing).
For example, certain existing accessories include a flexible clip configured to clip around a portion of a child support device's frame. Such a clip is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,278,616, which discloses a pinwheel accessory that includes a semi-cylindrical sleeve configured to clip around a section of tubing (e.g., a tubular rail of a children's crib frame). The walls of the sleeve are configured to flex outwardly in order receive and wrap around the tubing, thereby securing the accessory to the tubing. However, clip attachment devices of this type are only configured for attachment to cylindrical members and are not well suited for attachment to structures of varying sizes and shapes.
Other existing accessories include adjustable clamping mechanisms configured to engage a crib's horizontal and vertical rails. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,387,285 discloses a clamp assembly configured to support an accessory, such as a mobile. The clamp assembly includes a ledge configured to rest on the upper surface of a crib frame's top rail, a threaded shaft configured to fit between vertical slats extending downwardly from the crib's top rail, and a clamping nut configured to be screwed onto the threaded shaft in order to clamp the assembly to the vertical slats and secure the assembly to the crib frame. However, clamping mechanisms of this type provide limited adjustability and can only be secured to cribs having vertical slats sized and positioned to be compatible with the clamp's shaft and clamping nut.
In other existing accessories, straps disposed on an accessory housing are configured to be secured around a crib rail. For example, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0323581 discloses a children's mobile accessory supported by a housing having a pair of upper and lower straps. The straps are configured to be wrapped around a crib rail and secured to one another with a buckle in order to attach the mobile's housing to the crib rail. However, the position of these straps with respect to the housing cannot be adjusted and, as such, provide limited stability when attached to certain crib railings.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved accessory attachment device configured to secure a children's accessory to various support structures having differing shapes and sizes. There is a further need for such an accessory to provide enhanced stability when attached to these various support structures. In addition, existing accessory attachment devices are disposed on individual children's accessories and are not configured to be removed or used with other children's accessories. Accordingly, there also remains a need for a removable accessory attachment device adapted for use with a variety of children's accessories.